stock markets

News of corporate takeovers and widespread anticipation that European leaders will reach a deal Wednesday to prevent another credit crisis lifted the stock markets Monday.

Stocks rose sharply Friday after a number of companies reported positive earnings.

Stocks closed mixed Thursday as traders remained focused on the latest hope for a resolution to Europe’s debt crisis: this time, a weekend summit of European leaders.

Apple’s earnings miss on Wednesday dragged tech stocks, and the broader markets, lower

Stocks jumped Tuesday following reports of progress on solving Europe’s debt crisis. The rally came in stark contrast to the previous day’s trading.

Stocks slid Monday as hopes for a solution to the European debt problem were dashed.

Stocks climbed Friday following news that retail sales increased 1.1% in September, the biggest gain in seven months and double what economists projected. Retail sales are a key barometer of consumer spending, which helps drive economic growth.

Bank stocks dragged the market lower Thursday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. reported that a slowdown in investment banking hurt its results in the third quarter. An afternoon surge in technology stocks limited some of the losses.

Stocks ended Tuesday mixed ahead of Slovakia’s vote on the European rescue fund.

Stocks soared Monday after French and German leaders promised to strengthen European banks.

Stocks rose Thursday after investors cheered a promise from the European Central Bank to provide unlimited one-year loans to the region’s lenders through 2013.

Stocks rose Wednesday. Review complete. Analysts attributed the rise to increasing optimism about Europe’s efforts to contain its debt crisis and a pair of reports in the U.S. showing a pickup in hiring and growth in service companies last month.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke bluntly warned Congress on Tuesday of what most of America has sensed for some time: The economic recovery, such as it is, “is close to faltering.”

A late afternoon rally on Tuesday erased earlier losses over concerns about Greece’s debt that sent the market down in early trading.

European markets slumped Monday, dragging U.S. stocks down along with them, after Greece said it will miss deficit reduction targets it agreed to as part of its bailout deal.

Stocks fell broadly Friday on fresh signs that Europe’s debt problems and the U.S. economy continue to languish.

A mixed bag of positive and negative economic indicators left investors struggling between buy and sell strategies. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 143 points, or 1.3%, to 11,154. It had been down as many as 45 points.

The stock market’s uptick screeched to a halt on Wednesday and went into decline. The Dow Jones dipped 180 points, apparently reacting to the news that German chancellor Angela Merkel believes that Greece needs to renegotiate its bailout package.

Stocks are closing higher for the third day in a row on hopes that European leaders are moving closer to a plan to contain that region’s debt crisis.

U.S. stock index futures erased small, early gains Friday to point to a lower start for Wall Street as investors looked to international policy makers for solutions to Europe’s debt crisis a day after worries over world growth prospects triggered a global equity rout.

One financial indicator after another on Thursday showed that investors are quickly losing hope that the economy can keep growing. The price of oil and metals, both of which depend on economic demand, fell sharply. Traders bought bonds for safety.

The Fed said Wednesday it would buy long-term Treasurys and sell short-term ones to help the economy regain momentum. Financial analysts said stocks dropped as investors came to the conclusion that the Fed expects the economy to take years to recover.

Stocks erased nearly all of their gains in the last hour of trading Tuesday after rallying for much of the day on hopes the Fed would stimulate the economy.

Stocks fell sharply Monday as investors once again doubted that Greece will be able to avoid a default on its debt.

Stocks ended higher for a fifth straight day Friday, the longest winning streak in 2 1/2 months.

Stocks rallied Thursday after the European Central Bank, the U.S. Federal Reserve and three other central banks said Thursday they would provide European banks with unlimited dollar loans.

Wednesday was another day of choppy trading in the stock market. But stocks ended higher after the leaders of Greece, France and Germany agreed in a teleconference that Greece was an “integral” part of the 17-country bloc that uses the euro.

The stock market’s gain on Tuesday was the first back-to-back gain since the last week of August and only the third time the market has closed higher this month.

Major indexes spent most of Monday lower as investors worried that Greece could be edging closer to default.

U.S. stocks plunged Friday, erasing the week’s gains, amid rising fears about fallout from Europe’s debt crisis.

In a speech closely watched by investors, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed will consider a range of steps at its Sept. 20-21 meeting, but he offered no specific plans. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 100 points shortly after Bernanke’s remarks began at 1:30 p.m. ET.

U.S. stocks fell sharply in early trading Tuesday when it appeared that European markets were heading for a second straight day of deep losses.

World stock markets took a beating Monday over fears that the U.S. economy was heading back into a recession.

No jobs were added in the U.S. last month, the government said early Friday. It was the worst employment report in 11 months and renewed fears that another recession could be on the way.

A press release issued by Starz to inform journalists that it has ended negotiations with Netflix to renew its streaming contract has caused the high-flying stock to slide as much as 9% in after-hours trading. Shares of Netflix, which have advanced 435% in the past two years, were down just fractionally during the regular session to $233.27 Thursday, but sunk $21 after the closing bell when the Starz news hit.

Stock indexes traded mixed for much of Thursday but turned lower after 1:30 when the Fed announced enforcement actions against a former subsidiary of Goldman Sachs over mortgage and foreclosure practices. They drifted lower for the rest of the afternoon.

A surge in factory orders indicated to investors that the manufacturing industry is still healthy and that helped drive stocks higher Wednesday, the fourth day in a row with an increase.

Stocks rose Tuesday following news that the Fed was considering more aggressive action, which gave investors a reason to buy stocks.

Stocks rose broadly Monday, led by insurance companies, afteranalysts lowered their estimates of how much damage the storm would cause.

Operators of the historic Big Board and other major U.S. exchanges said they plan to open for trading as usual. The announcements came after city officials said damage from Tropical Storm Irene wasn’t as severe as feared in New York’s financial district.